Starlight
by Wartlix
Summary: Arya remembers her past as she continues to fight for a better future.


Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that...

The stars were many and beautiful that night. They would lay onto the soft grass under the clear night sky. They would lay there in silence as the silver threads of moonlight shun brightly on their faces. So bright was the light that the two young girls looked like angels in the night, beautiful and luminous.

As Arya was walking on the howling surface of Taris once more, she was hit by memories and nostalgia. She first remembered the night when Akira, her childhood friend, took her to a glade in the center of the ruined city. She was eight again. She was stunned by how a dead world could be so beautiful in darkness, when the pure light of heaven touched the ground. Akira used to be so happy when they went out at night. She did not remember much about her anymore; she was part of a distant past now, memories blurred by the passing of time.

Clearing her mind, Arya ventured into the wilds. She was on a mission. A mission that could not be delayed, as for every moment she wasted, the Jedi were slipping away from her. The Jedi she was ordered to eradicate. The Dark Council told her all she needed to know, the Jedi on Taris were a threat due to their alien training camps. It is the will of the Sith that filth be washed from the galaxy. Arya was no fool. Prejudice is a powerful tool for those who would seek power. It is important for the Empire to stand true to its beliefs, prosecuting the lower species to ensure the prosperity of a glorious society. Building walls, dividing the people of the galaxy. Arya learned those lessons on Korriban. She was tasked with purging the entire refugee sector on Nar Shaddaa, where all those whose worlds were destroyed lived their lives in torment.

She was fourteen. She displayed amazing mastery of the Force. On Korriban she was known to be smart and cunning. But Korriban fitted her no longer. It was a waste of her talents. Her masters gave her a daunting task. Alien refugees were coming to Nar Shaddaa, far away from the war between the totalitarian Empire and the democratic Republic. The Empire was about to seal a deal with the Hutt Cartel. They would build a power base in the criminal underworld. As any other planet the Sith touches, Nar Shaddaa must be cleansed. The Sith would build their own powerbase on the corpses of alien filth.

Arya was sent alone. Refugees would not pose much of a danger, although the Exchange might. For months, they have been harassing the aliens in the sector. It was their turf. The Hutts did not seek out war with the Exchange, but if an unaffiliated assassin was to put an end to their little gig, no one would trace it back to them. Thus, her mission began. Her only objective was slaughter. She was a servant of the Empire now; a harbringer of death. Or so they thought. Her powers were great as she battled the Exchange. They were armed thugs. They were bullies. And she knew bullies. She moved swiftly through their headquarters as blaster bolts flew in every direction. Not a single shot landed on her that day. It was her first glorious battle. She was fast, she was beautiful, her body moved elegantly. The Exchange were defetead before they knew what hit them, and she felt good that day. She had it all planned out. After the Exchange has been dealt with, she led the aliens in the sector to a far safer place. It was not easy, operating under the radar. But she knew she was on the right path, that she did not lose her way, and she was happy.

She put alot of effort into climbing the hierarchy without falling victim to the dark side. She saw the Sith as a wound that can be healed. Being with them was not her choice. It was a choice made for her, when the Sith Lord Malgus slaughtered her Jedi master on the very planet she was now sent to to slaughter an entire Jedi camp. This time she had no plan. The order came as a surprise, but she will manage. Arya did not hate the Jedi. She often wondered how her life would have turned out had Malgus not taken her to Korriban on that faithful night.

The time was nigh. The camp was nearby. Arya moved through the shadows, unseen. She moved on the ruined rooftop of a fallen building from where she could overlook the camp. There were aliens, mostly cathar training below. They would be no match for her. Even the masters, by the looks of them, were not high ranking amongst the Jedi. Perhaps united, they would be a challenge. She cannot spare them, but she can't kill them either. It would likely be nothing more than a massacre.

After a thoughtful moment, she left her hidden spot, jumping in the camp below her. The more learned Jedi felt her presence. The camp was soon on alert. There was an intruder. Arya moved as skillfully as ever, hiding her presence from the naked eye. As the Jedi were becoming more aware of her presence, they readied their weapons. The first attack took them by surprise. A glimmer of light in the darkness, and one of the padawans was temporarily blinded. Arya then moved swiftly towards the command tent, incapacitating every enemy until she reached her destination. In a few fast moves, communications were disabled. The Jedi, however, would not be caught off guard again. Arya quickly adapted and, with unimaginable speed, knocked every padawan down one by one. As she was dressed in white, all they saw was a blinding spark leaping from place to place. It was easy to separate the masters from the padawans and from each other, as she moved quickly enough to attack them from all sides. She pushed herself into defeating a few dozen Jedi without stopping to rest or catch her breath. She felt good. The adrenaline, her heart beat, it was rewarding.

In a few minutes, every man and woman has been knocked down. Not one has been killed. She gave them only one warning: to leave before the Empire hunts them down. Still shaken and confused, the Jedi did not have much choice. They were few in numbers, and the threat of the Empire on Taris has been confirmed.

Arya was crouching down on top of a building when they left. The moon was shinning onto her. She was deep in thought. Could she truly change the Sith? Although there are exceptions, the Sith are a belief, as ancient as the sands of Korriban. But without their lust for power, the Empire could become a better place. Can she continue to fight for the light? How long until the Sith will want her dead?

As she thought, she sensed a pair of eyes watching her. One of the padawans, the last to leave, was glancing at her. Arya allowed the padawan that much. Staring in awe, the young Jedi trainee whispered into the night, a whispered carried by the wind. Wether Arya read her lips or simply heard the padawan, she did not know. But the word was clear to her.

 _Starlight_


End file.
